U.S. patent number 6,004,288 [Application Number 09/198,840] was granted by the patent office on 1999-12-21 for breast pump.
Invention is credited to Curtis G. Hochstedler, Judy R. Hochstedler.
United States Patent |
6,004,288 |
Hochstedler , et
al. |
December 21, 1999 |
Breast pump
Abstract
A breast pump that gently milks a lactating mother's breast is
comprised of a housing having a flexible sleeve that receives the
breast. A rotating wheel and connection rod combine to reciprocate
the sleeve back and fourth relative to an opening on the housing
while a cam operates to squeeze and unsqueeze the sleeve. A motor
operatively connects to the cam and to the wheel. An adjustment
mechanism adjusts the initial parameters of the sleeve in order to
accommodate various sized breasts.
Inventors: |
Hochstedler; Judy R.
(Tallahassee, FL), Hochstedler; Curtis G. (Tallahassee,
FL) |
Family
ID: |
22735091 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/198,840 |
Filed: |
November 24, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
604/74;
417/474 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
1/062 (20140204); A61M 1/06 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61M
1/06 (20060101); A61M 001/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;604/73,74,118,119,313-316,327,346,355,540
;119/14.07,14.23,14.31,14.37,14.38,14.42,14.52,14.54 ;417/474 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Coggins; Wynn Wood
Assistant Examiner: Kline; Eric
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Loffler; Peter
Claims
We claim:
1. A breast pump comprising:
a housing having a first opening;
a flexible sleeve, having a first end and an open second end joined
by a first side and a second side, the second side having a second
opening, disposed within the housing proximate the first
opening;
a tube, having a third end proximate the second end and a fourth
end, disposed within the housing and passing through the second
opening;
a reciprocating means for reciprocating the sleeve in a back and
forth relation relative the first opening; and
a squeezing means for squeezing and unsqueezing the sleeve.
2. The breast pump as in claim 1 wherein the squeezing means
comprises:
a motor; and
a cam, reciprocatively disposed within the housing and engagable
with the sleeve, operatively connected to the motor.
3. The breast pump as in claim 2 further comprising a flange
attached to the first side such that the cam engages the sleeve via
the flange.
4. The breast pump as in claim 1 wherein the reciprocating means
comprises:
a connection rod having a fifth end pivotally attached to housing,
a sixth end pivotally attached to the first end, and a slotted
portion;
a motor;
a wheel, having a center, rotatably disposed within the housing and
operatively connected to the motor; and
a post attached to the wheel in offset relation to the center and
received within the slotted portion.
5. The breast pump as in claim 1 further comprising a receptacle
attached to the housing and receiving the fourth end.
6. The breast pump as in claim 1 further comprising at least one
roller attached to the second end.
7. The breast pump as in claim 1 further comprising:
a first roller attached to the first side proximate the second end;
and
a second roller attached to the second side proximate the second
end.
8. The breast pump as in claim 1 further comprising a padded member
encompassing the first opening.
9. The breast pump as in claim 1 further comprising a roller
disposed within the housing and biased between the housing and the
second side.
10. The breast pump as in claim 1 further comprising:
a roller disposed within the housing and engaging the second
side;
a knob rotatably disposed within the housing; and
a spring having a fifth end biased against the roller and a sixth
end biased against the knob such that rotation of the knob
increases the bias of the spring and counterrotation of the knob
decreases the bias of the spring.
11. The breast pump as in claim 1 further comprising a switch for
controlling operation of the motor.
12. A breast pump comprising:
a housing having a first opening;
a flexible sleeve, having a first end and an open second end and a
first side and a second side, the second side having a second
opening, disposed within the housing proximate the first
opening;
a tube, having a third end proximate the second end and a fourth
end, disposed within the housing and passing through the second
opening;
a connection rod having a fifth end pivotally attached to housing,
a sixth end pivotally attached to the flexible sleeve, and a
slotted portion;
a motor;
a wheel, having a center, rotatably disposed within the housing and
operatively connected to the motor;
a post attached to the wheel in offset relation to the center and
received within the slotted portion; and
a cam, reciprocatively disposed within the housing and engagable
with the sleeve, operatively connected to the motor.
13. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising a flange
attached to the first side such that the cam engages the sleeve via
the flange.
14. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising a receptacle
attached to the housing and receiving the fourth end.
15. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising at least one
roller attached to the second end.
16. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising:
a first roller attached to the first side proximate the second end;
and
a second roller attached to the second side proximate the second
end.
17. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising a padded
member encompassing the first opening.
18. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising a roller
disposed within the housing and biased between the housing and the
second side.
19. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising:
a roller disposed within the housing and engaging the second
side;
a knob rotatably disposed within the housing; and
a spring having a seventh end biased against the roller and an
eight end biased against the knob such that rotation of the knob
increases the bias of the spring and counterrotation of the knob
decreases the bias of the spring.
20. The breast pump as in claim 12 further comprising a switch for
controlling operation of the motor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand held breast pump.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Breast pumps for pumping milk from a lactating mother for delivery
to a child are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,531 to
Silver, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,084 to Palmer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,747
to Aida et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,067 to Adams, and U.S. Pat. No.
2,542,505 to Gascoigne are all examples of such devices. While
these and other breast pumps found in the art work with varying
degrees of efficiency, they suffer from one or more problems.
Many devices are unduly complex in design, making them expensive to
manufacture and maintain. Other devices are relatively complex and
difficult to operate, making their use by a mother less attractive.
Still other devices cause discomfort and pain, making their use by
a mother very unattractive.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a breast pump that
overcomes the problems associated with current state of the art
devices. Such a breast pump must be of relatively simple design and
construction and must be easy to use. Use of the breast pump must
not result in unde pain or discomfort to the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The breast pump of the present invention addresses the
aforementioned needs in the art. The breast pump is of a relatively
simple design and is constructed using standard manufacturing
techniques. Hookup and operation of the device is relatively
straightforward. A mother using the device will not experience
undue discomfort or pain.
The breast pump of the present invention is comprised of a housing
having a first opening, a second opening and a flexible sleeve,
with a first side and a second side having a third opening,
disposed therein. Rollers are provided on each of the sides of the
sleeve. A tube extends from the first opening, passes through the
third opening and terminates proximate a receptacle removably
attached to the housing at the second opening. A connection rod has
one end pivotally attached to the housing and an opposing end
pivotally attached to the sleeve and has a slotted portion. A wheel
is rotatably disposed within the housing and has a post secured
therein in offset relation to the center of the wheel, the post
being received within the slotted portion. A cam is reciprocatively
disposed within the housing and engages the sleeve, either directly
or by way of a flange. A motor assembly powered by a motor, is
operatively connected to the wheel and to the cam. In operation,
the wheel and connection rod act to reciprocate the sleeve back and
forth relative to the first opening and thereby produce a pulling
action on the breast received through the first opening, while the
cam acts on the sleeve to compress and release the sleeve thereby
producing a squeezing action upon the breast. A roller acts on the
sleeve to adjust the initial width created between the two sides of
the sleeve. The roller is adjustable by way of a spring having one
end biased against the roller and an opposing end biased against a
knob rotatably disposed within the housing. Rotation of the knob
brings the two sides of the sleeve closer together while
counterrotation of the knob allows the two sides to move farther
apart from each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the breast pump of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a side sectioned view of the breast pump.
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the breast pump receiving a
breast.
FIG. 4 is a sectioned view of the breast pump with the sleeve in a
forward unsqueezed position.
FIG. 5 is a sectioned view of the breast pump with the sleeve in a
middle partially squeezed position.
FIG. 6 is a sectioned view of the breast pump with the sleeve in a
rearward squeezed position.
Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the
several views of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, it is seen that the breast pump of
the present invention, generally denoted by reference numeral 10,
is comprised of a housing 12 having a first opening 14 and a second
opening 16. The outer periphery of the first opening 14 has a
padded element 18. A receptacle 20, for collecting the milk M, is
removably secured to the housing 12 proximate the second opening
16. A plate 22 can be secured to the device for easy holding by a
user. A flexible sleeve has a first side 24 having a flange 26, and
a second side 28 having a third opening 30, and is disposed within
the housing 12. The flexible sleeve is made from an appropriate
flexible material such as spring metal, flexible plastic and the
like. Located on one end of each of the first side 24 and the
second side 28 is a roller 32. A tube 34 extends from proximate the
first opening 14 through the second opening 16 and terminates
either proximate the receptacle 20 or within the receptacle 20. The
tube 34, which must also be flexible, is made from similar material
from that which the flexible sleeve is made from.
A connection rod 36 has one end pivotally secured to the housing 12
and an opposing end pivotally secured to the flexible sleeve. A
wheel 38, having a center 40, is rotatably disposed within the
housing 12. A post 42 extends upward from the wheel 38 and is
located in offset relation to the center 40. A cam 44, which may be
round, or as illustrated flattened, is reciprocatively disposed
within the housing 12 and engages the first side 24 of the sleeve
by way of the flange 26. A motor assembly 46 operatively connects
to the wheel 38 for providing rotational capability and to the cam
44 for providing reciprocating capability. The motor (not
illustrated) of the motor assembly 46 may be powered in any desired
fashion such as by way of a battery (not illustrated), which may be
rechargeable, or by being plugged into a standard wall socket.
A control knob 48 is also operatively connected to the motor
assembly 46 for manually providing rotational capability of the
wheel 38 and reciprocating capability of the cam 44 independent of
the motor. A control switch 50 provides on/off control for the
motor while an adjustment switch 52 controls speed of the
motor.
An adjustment system allows the initial distance between the first
side 24 of the sleeve and the second side 28 of the sleeve to be
adjusted. The adjustment system is comprised of a roller 54 that
engages one of the sides 24 or 28. A spring 56 has one end biased
against the roller 54 and the opposite end biased against an
adjustment knob 58 that is rotatably connected to the housing 12.
Rotation of the adjustment knob 58 increases the bias of the spring
56 and thus decreases the distance between the first side 24 of the
sleeve and the second side 28 of the sleeve while counterrotation
of the adjustment knob 58 decreases the bias of the spring 56 and
thereby increases the distance between the first side 24 of the
sleeve and the second side 28 of the sleeve.
In order to utilize the breast pump 10 of the present invention,
the user attaches a receptacle 20 to the device 10 and uses the
adjustment system to adjust the distance between the first side 24
of the sleeve and the second side 28 of the sleeve to comfortably
fit the user's particular breast size. The user inserts her breast
B into the housing 12 through the first opening 14. If desired, the
control knob 48 can be rotates to insure that the initial
parameters are suited for the user. Thereafter, the user uses the
switch 50 to energize the motor and the adjustment switch 52 to set
the speed of the motor.
In operation, the rotating wheel 38 causes the post 42 to act on
the connection rod 36 causing the connection rod 36 to reciprocate
the sleeve back and forth relative to the first opening 14, thereby
impacting a pulling action on the breast B. The rollers 32 located
on the sleeve assure that no undue discomfort or pain is occasioned
on the user. The cam 44 acts to increase and decrease the distance
between the first side 24 of the sleeve and the second side 28 of
the sleeve, thereby impacting a squeezing action on the breast B.
Using a generally round cam allows the first side 24 of the sleeve
and the second side 28 of the sleeve to be squeezed and unsqueezed
gradually, while a generally flattened cam 44 allows the first side
24 of the sleeve and the second side 28 of the sleeve to quickly
squeeze and unsqueeze during the cycle. The combined pulling action
and the squeezing action on the breast B causes the breast to be
milked. The milk M flows through the tube 34 and is deposited
within the receptacle 20. After the milking process is complete,
the motor is deenergized and the breast B is removed from the
housing 12.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to an embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be
made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
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